
Raleigh Dance Theatre
The Triangle
Raleigh Dance Theatre (RDT), the affiliate performance company of The Raleigh School of Ballet (RSB), was founded in 1984 by Ann Vorus to provide performance training for qualified area dancers. The company matured under her direction to the acclaim of local dance critics. Milestones included the performance of Giselle with the North Carolina Symphony in its inaugural ballet series in 1991, and acceptance as a performing member company into the prestigious Regional Dance America/Southeast (RDA/SE) in 1993.
Mary LeGere became associate artistic director in 1992, and was named artistic director in 1994 when Ms. Vorus resigned to concentrate on directing RSB. During the 1994-1995 season, the company’s name was changed to Carolina Ballet, and the board of directors launched a campaign to develop a fully professional ballet company. The company continued to grow, and elevated the quality of non-professional ballet in the area to the very highest level, drawing critical acclaim and reaching new artistic heights with the performance of such works as George Balanchine’s Raymonda Variations. The close of the 1996-1997 season marked the final stage in achieving professional status with the hiring of Robert Weiss as artistic director.
Programs
- George W. Newton School Performance
- Leaping Readers
- Fairytale Ball
raleighdance.org